Transcript - 2SM Breakfast - 11 November 2025

Melissa McIntosh MP 
Shadow Minister for Communications 
Shadow Minister for Women 
Federal Member for Lindsay 

11 November 2025 

Transcript 

2SM Breakfast with Tim Webster

Topic: Social media age minimum. 

E&EO … 

Tim Webster

Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh is on the program. G'day, thanks for your time.

Melissa McIntosh

Yeah, good morning.

Webster

Yeah, the social media ban, are you in the camp that think it's a good idea or not?

McIntosh

Well, the intent of getting kids off social media, every parent would agree …

Webster

Yeah.

McIntosh

Is a good thing. There's the whole things going on online, inappropriate content and bullying, but I'm questioning whether this is going to work. One of the items that have come out recently by the Communications Minister and the eSafety Commissioner is that people may be compelled to use digital identification …

Webster

Yeah, yep.

McIntosh

To prove their age. And Australians hate that. They don't want to have to show their licence or their government ID. And the other part of this is, where is this data going to be stored? These are big tech companies, international companies. Is your data going to be stored offshore? So, there's that element. There's the element of we still don't know which platforms are in or out. The government just announced another two the other day.

Webster

Yeah, that's it. Yeah.

McIntosh

And it’s not even underway.

Webster

Yeah, Melissa, that's what's worrying me. One of the things that's worrying me is the goalposts seem to be moved almost every day. So, and young people at 15 are pretty savvy, Melissa. You know, they'll work out a way to get around the ban, or they'll try to. And as I just said, I'm very concerned there's going to be a lot of mis and disinformation about this in the next month.

McIntosh

Yeah, I'm concerned as well. And you're right, kids do have a tendency to get around things and the government's now saying, well, we're just giving it a crack. I don't think it's good enough. We need to protect kids if this is going to be happening and it is on the tenth of December.

Webster

Yeah.

McIntosh

Then it needs to work because if it doesn't work, what, what do we do next? So right now, it doesn't look like it's going to be a great success. And like you said, I'm sure kids are already, we're hearing, kids already working out ways around it.

McIntosh

Oh, I've had a couple of parents say I hate the whole thing, and I'll just let my teenager use my account. So, you know, people will get around it, won't they?

Webster

Yeah, and that's, I think going to be a common theme with platforms like YouTube. A lot of parents weren't happy about YouTube being included. They weren't - wasn't intentional, it wasn't initially included. And YouTube has, you know, mechanisms in there that protect kids. So, if kids are in a logged in state, there's extra protections in place. So, then you question more if they're just roaming without those protections around YouTube, what are they going to be exposed to?

McIntosh

Yeah, yeah.

Webster

It’s the unintended consequences as well.

McIntosh

Yeah, that's the thing. And you know, look, it seems like it's a good idea to try and protect young people and look, Melissa, I wouldn't even know how to get to some of these places, but I know they do. And is the one of the major concerns that they're going to go on whatever platform it may be and then in some way, because they're clever - be, you know, taken down this dark path into the dark web, which we know is just hideous. So, I don't know, I'm just, I'm sitting here thinking how do we really manage this? And I suppose making the effort is something we should consider doing, but it just worries me what's going to happen in the next month or so.

McIntosh

I'm concerned as well and just the fact that it doesn't seem all that organised or ready and still not knowing which platforms. Speaking to some parents who had lost children to harm on social media, they were concerned about the readiness of both the government with the parents and schools and it's happening just right on school holidays. So, I'm sure Australian parents are going to have a great time with that as well. So yes, still a lot. Let's see what happens over the next month. Because the ultimate outcome is we want Australian children to be protected.

Webster

You bet your life that is the ultimate outcome. And protected from all of these absolute bastards that you might find on the internet. Can I just ask you, do you think, and this worries me too, it might even create, as you say, it's going to be school holidays, it's going to be December, it's going to be close to Christmas, create even further dramas for parents of the youngsters, because they'll hate it. The 15 and 14 year olds will hate it.

McIntosh

Yeah, of course they will hate it. And as you say, it's happening over school holidays, and we know that a lot of children are very attached to their phones and social media. So ultimately, we'll have to be - the parents - that deal with the fallout of this ban and the frustrations I can imagine are yet to come from Australian parents. We'll hear about it.

Webster

Yeah, we will. And I'm sure it hasn't finished yet. It's still a month away. And as I say, the goal posts keep moving and it seems to be a movable feast. We'll see what happens. Thanks for your time.

McIntosh

Thank you. Thanks so much.